Greek Recipes

A change from the usual watermelon, this super quick, cooling summer meze uses melon. Any type of melon works for this recipe too - depending on the season. As this salad is really quick to throw together and very simple, it does rely on having an absolutely ripe melon that is full of flavour. If there is no aromatic scent from the melon - choose another one! A spicy but smooth Greek feta, made from a blend of sheep and goat's milk is also important for this dish. The piquant saltiness of good Greek feta works so well against the sweet melon. However, the success of this dish depends on a really good quality black pepper, freshly ground, and a very peppery, green young olive oil - any extra expense will be worth it! Serve outdoors on a warm summer night as a simple starter or along with a few other small  mezedes, accompanied of course by a very chilled glass of ouzo.  Melon and feta salad (Σαλάτα με πεπόνι και φέτα) Serves 6 Ingredients  1 ripe melon (honeydew or rockmel...

In Athens, there are special places that have been a part of the city for so long that they have become symbolic of the eating culture. Here are just a couple of our favourite Athenian eats, which focus on traditional, old school comfort food. A stop at each of these places is always on my to do list when visiting the dynamic city of Athens.  Pork chop heaven: O Telis (Psitopoleio) When in Athens, you have to visit a traditional pork brizoles (pork chops) taverna. O Telis in Athens is by far the most famous and the best! Don’t bother asking for a menu here, they serve brizoles, horiatiki salad, chips, tzatziki and feta. That’s pretty much it. The brizoles have been beaten thin and are well charred with plenty to salt and rigani.  There is also an amazing ‘special sauce’ – a stainless steel plate of smoky grilled tomatoes, hot, hot yellow peppers and plenty of oozing melted feta. To be honest, the special sauce is so good, I could have just ordered this alone with a gla...

As soon as summer arrives, my cravings for stuffed zucchini blossoms begins. Stuffed zucchini blossoms are a summer staple dish in many Greek homes. They are incredibly delicate and have a subtle flavour, taking well to aromatics such as fresh herbs and lemon or for a more spicy approach, fresh grated tomato and smoky bukovo chilli flakes. There are two ways in which the blossoms are traditionally prepared in Greece; either via a stove top method or baked in the oven. Both ways of preparing the blossoms is delicious and usually really comes down to how you were taught by your mother or grandmother. In this post, I'm offering the stove top method and a follow up post will feature the baked method! While zucchini blossoms are relatively cheap and easy to buy at markets in Greece, the same is not true in Australia. Although, they do make an appearance at some of our farmer's markets and are of high quality, the blossoms are o...

One of my favourite Greek products, is the dark pine or ‘honeydew’ honey from the forests of Peloponnese. It has a malty, spicy aroma and a caramelized flavor.   It is the perfect honey for using in this simple tart, as a floral honey could easily overwhelm the buttery shortbread-like crust and mild pine nuts. Pine honey also has fewer calories and a lower total sugar content than floral honeys and is rich in minerals and amino acids.    You could make your own short crust pastry base for this tart, but I like to use the wonderfully light and crumbly Careme gluten free short crust pastry. It has a subtle nutty flavour from wholegrain flours , which works so well with the almonds and pine nuts in this tart. This is a great cupboard standby dessert, which couldn’t be simpler to make. It is best served with a dollop of thick, Greek style sheep milk’s yoghurt for a luxurious touch. Pine honey, almond and pine nut tart (Τάρτα με πευκόμελο, αμύγδαλο και κουκουνάρι) Se...

So. Mykonos. I have to say I had lower expectations for this destination on my recent trip to Greece. I don’t revel in all-night parties anymore (I am sounding a bit like yiayia) and Mykonos reputation as a party island left me unsure as to what to expect. However, it was love at first sight when I saw the stark white cubist architecture, aqua blues of the sea and waterfalls of hot pink bougainvillea. This guide brings you the more tranquil, low key side of Mykonos – where you can get to hang out with some of the locals and get in touch with the islands core traditions. Getting there By air : On our recent trip, we flew from Venice to Mykonos with Aegean Air. Olympic Airlines and a host of other small European airlines, such as Ryanair also fly to Mykonos direct from Athens at relatively low prices. There is an KTEL bus service which runs from the airport to the main square called “Fabrika” – just up the hill from Mykonos chora. Tickets are usually around the couple of euro mark ...